The REAL Reason Why No Sex Before a Fight

“No sex in training!” Does that sound familiar? Is your trainer claiming sex makes you weak? If so, then why are studies showing that sex doesn’t make you tired? I can tell you why it’s not a giant myth…

It all started with a question a reader sent me a while back:Hey Johnny,I just finished reading your mailbag and noticed you didn’t believe in sex or masturbation before a fight. I don’t mean to undermine you or anyone else, but I read on Wikipedia a while back that sex before a fight might actually make you perform even better!

“Another popular myth is that having sex in the days leading up to a sporting event or contest is detrimental to performance. Numerous studies have shown that there is no physiological basis to this myth. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that sex during the 24 hours prior to sports activity can elevate the levels of testosterone in males, which potentially could enhance their performance.”

Also, wouldn’t a … satisfied fighter be a more relaxed fighter? If you could give me your thoughts on the matter at some point that’d be great too, clear up some of the confusion.

Thanks,
J

Many people don’t know why sex will hurts your performance, because there are weak arguments in support of abstinence…

Sex before a fight:

weakens your energy, leaves you tired

weakens your legs

drains your inner energy

decreases aggression

reduces your testosterone

…and then there’s confusing arguments in support of sex…

Sex before a fight:

relaxes the athlete

releases tension, increases focus

release more testosterone (potentially increasing performance)

can boost your performance psychologically

it’s only a psychological effect if at all, there’s no real performance loss

And then of course, there’s all the confusing reports like these that don’t offer any real conclusion other than to dance around the subject.

So who’s right and who’s wrong?

…they’re all potentially right. How confusing, right? Don’t worry, all the arguments don’t matter at all. There’s something more important.

Now I’ll explain to you the REAL reason why elite athletes abstain from sex. The crazy thing is they all know to avoid sex but not many know why. Well here’s your answer…

Why You Should Avoid Sex Before a Fight

Having sex decreases your competitive motivation.

We have to look back to the evolution of mankind. Actually, think of life in general. What is the NUMBER ONE FUNCTION of all living organisms? It’s not to create art, sing songs, get rich, or become heavyweight champion of the world.

…are you ready for this?

The #1 function of any living organism is to reproduce!

It may seem crass but that’s really our number one responsibility in life, to have sex. Without the need for sex, and without having sex, our species will fail to exist. That’s probably why our bodies are hardwired to enjoy sex more than anything else.

There are theories of success, that believe having too much sex makes it hard for any guy to be successful at anything (let alone boxing). Males are driven to have sex; that is their #1 motivation to succeed at anything. The theories further explain that that if males had no desire to have sex (attract females), males would not have become amazing musicians, artists, businessman, athletes, etc, etc. Therefore, by having sex, you lose the desire to have sex, and therefore lose your inner desire succeed…because you already “succeeded” (and achieved the male’s #1 goal).

Scientifically and physiologically, the effect of having sex doesn’t matter. Boxing trainers will say it makes you weak or less aggressive. Researchers might say it helps you. Experts on kung-fu or spiritualism, might say that having sex drains your inner energy. The inner chi, spiritual energy, it’s called different things in different arts and different cultures. Again, the arguments go back and forth. Whether sex helps you physically is not the point. The point is: having sex takes away your motivation to succeed, it weakens your competitive spirit. By already having the REAL reward of success, you lose the desire to fight for it.

Having sex before a fight,
takes away your motivation to succeed.

And it is for that specific reason that professional fighters avoid sex months before the fight. Even before I learned about this theory, I have never heard any trainer say that having sex helps performance. All of them, and I do mean 100% all of them, preach “no sex in training!”

From my own experience, it’s much better not to have sex. I can even feel the difference during my training days with sex and without sex. But of course, there will always be guys who insist on doing things their own way. To them, I say experiment on 2 fights… and see which one works out better for you.

The author is correct, it can be explained in terms of evolutionary psychology. It’s always helpful to remember that we evolved form apes and other wild beasts. The fact that once upon a time, we had to win a violent and brutal fight with a competitor, before we to got to mate and have sex. Sex leaves a man in a satiated state, that is why it feels so good, and indeed, the psychological after effects of a good love-making session can linger for days. But not only psychological, there almost seems to be a bit something physical going on as well.
I think boxes who are serious about winning the match, don’t need the distraction of sex, since it quickly consumes the mind, even totally. Abstaining also builds mental discipline, it’s a sign of determination, that nothing, even something as primitive and carnal as sex, will get in the way of that ultimate goal of winning. During periods of time, when I go without sex, I do get more aggressive in a way, it’s hard to describe but it’s there. I’d say I would be more likely to get into a fist-fight, if I had not had sex for quite some time. If I was having good sex every day, I would be much less likely to get into a physical altercation or feel like busting someone’s head in. Men are just more mellow, laid back, easy going, when they are getting plenty of sex. I’d say 95% of men would agree with me on that.

The thing is, yes you may be more agressive and irritable when you don’t satisfy your fundamental needs… BUT the other thing is that in life when your basic needs are fullfill ( eat well, sleep well etc… ) , you are more focus on other things. By doing so, your animal instincts is put aside so you can have more space for relaxation and reasonning, wich can lead to better control of yourself and increase your performances.

Don’t be stupid. It’s a scientifically proven fact. Evolution isn’t a theory, and it can be observed even over your own lifetime.

I’m sure this is because you read in the Bible that man was molded from mud? That’s just ignorant. That story makes no sense. It is not meant to be a literal story of creation. It is a story told to the same people who had to be told not to have sex with the livestock, and not to eat bloody raw meat. Obviously, you couldn’t tell them all the finer details of how we came to be they would have no way to even conceptualize what they were being told. To think the entire world was created in 6 days wtf. If that were the case, and it was meant to be literal why would it take 6 days for an all powerful God to create the world? Why would he rest each day if it was as simple as let it be… Because that’s not how it works.

And I’m not arguing against religion, by the way. Just ignorant interpretations of it that make the entire thing look foolish

In modern science, the term “theory” refers to scientific theories, a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature, made in a way consistent with scientific method, and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science. Such theories are described in such a way that any scientist in the field is in a position to understand and either provide empirical support (“verify”) or empirically contradict (“falsify”) it. Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge,[4] in contrast to more common uses of the word “theory” that imply that something is unproven or speculative (which is better characterized by the word ‘hypothesis’).[5] Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are individual empirically testable conjectures, and scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of how nature will behave under certain conditions.

Science doesn’t really prove things, it can really only disprove things. Coming to something we would consider infallible doesn’t come from testing the idea, it comes from disproving literally every other explanation. However, Evolution has become a theory, meaning it’s our best possible explanation with the data we currently have. Even Einstein’s theory of relativity is thought to be imperfect, because, while it gets a lot of things right, it doesn’t fully explain everything.

We didn’t evolve from apes. Apes are their own species. As are humans. But if you trace both the ancestory of apes and humans back far enough, there was a common ancestor. Please don’t have a strong opinion if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

I def agree with what is being said here, I know that everytime I ever tried training or lifting weights at the gym after sex or after getting off, I just wasn’t the same as I would normally feel, I def felt weaker in my legs and just overall didn’t have the same animal mentality and drive as I would have normally if I didn’t have sex or get off prior to. Its just pretty crazy how our mind and body works, and the theory/reasoning behind it is so interesting. Now if we were talking about something else like taking a test for school then thats different bc I felt I always performed better on tests, reports, and things like that if I had sex or got off prior to these types of activities, bc it would relax me and let me focus in a different, calmer sort of way. Not to say that I was less focused during aggressive activities because of no sex, i just think it really depends on what type of activity your doing that determines if sex will help or not.

I 100% agree with what your saying. Physical activities are performed better no sex prior. But mental activities sex is great before it gives you that boost of confidence and you don’t need to be worrying about how the opposite sex sees you taking a test. My sources are own experience. Thanks for saying that eddie

I am a proffetional fighter and a nympfomaniac, In normal life and traning I have sex 2 times per day, two days before a fight I stop. But I like to also perform hard in bed, so it is always also like a traningsession.

YO Xman! I’m trying to become a nonprofessional boxer. Basically, in these days & times? EVERY young man MUST know how to defend himself in case of ANYTHING, feel me? So, trust bredren, your training has given you a SKILL that about 97% of college grads will one day WISH they had. And that’s just from my experience. So? With the way things are changing? I paid off my school loans, I stopped paying people to educate me, something a truly AMBITIOUS seeker of knowledge can do with an Amazon account and a booklist, and I’m working out in the HOPES that a certain trainer will TRULY educate me in a LIFESAVING SKILL! Because conflict is unavoidable for people of color, of which I happen to be one. Peace. Later. And THANKS for illuminating this discussion on the benefits of abstinence before a fight, because I’m on a dry spell that you wouldn’t wish on your most HATED enemy, but things will change as soon as I get in fighting shape because I’m pretty handsome when it’s time to get dressed up. Duces my G!

Then why is it that the dominant male has sex with his females all the time and still fights off the other males who seek to become the dominant male? I could argue that sex makes the male feel like he’s been successful and boosts his confidence, helping him to fight better and win more.

You need to do more research on that theory. It’s also called Alpha Male, who usually die first; then the beta male come in and gang bang their left over. I’m assuming you’re talking about animials. Alpha’s almost always die before their beta counterpart, The good die young. Do you want to die? ahha. Anyways they usually become alpha because they are genetic position to be aggressive and bless with better build than the beta male, not cause they have sex.

Hey man I know this reply is over 5 years late but still. I agree with you. Even though I haven’t had sex yet the other day I just got a long distance relationship and oh man it made me weak for hockey! I am an elite athlete in training the next Rocky balboa in boxin’ and hockey. For hockey on Thursday we just started dating and my girl told me she loved me and I’m on cloud nine and think about her all the time and wasn’t focused. I listen to motivational music and watched a little bit of hockey instructional videos but when push came to shove I was weak! My legs were so sore and were weakened and I could barely skate. My point streak ended even though I had plenty of chances but couldn’t bury it I was playing through pain. It felt like I had a scratch on my leg. On my right leg there was a red mark for no reason I had trained hard in the gym the previous day but that shouldn’t do it. Man Mick is right! I’m sorry Mick women do weaken legs I don’t know what to do my girl pushes me like Adrian and is the love of my life but I’m so distracted and not thinking about training. Even during boxing training I pushed through but wasn’t all there. I’m young and am sure it will pass but still.

I had sex an hour before Muay Thai and got my ass beat. My rhythm was all wrong, less aggression, timing of my strikes was off. My sparring partner caught my leg and knock me off my feet onto my ass as well as giving me a spinning back elbow to the jaw. NEVER AGAIN will I be boinking before training, however, after training is a different story.

I’m glad my question inspired this articleIt really shows how dedicated and helpful you are. Thanks again for the answer and it just cracks me up and amazes me that I inspired a whole article on here, haha! All the best

What happens to females if they have sex the night before the fight…..If you ‘hit’ that azz right, they sit in their seat with a contented and satisfied smile on their face while you get your azz beat in the ring……I’m just sayin’!

i remember reading, a long time ago (per-internet, in fact!) about an american coach (not boxing, if i remember correctly) who was credited with the ‘no-sex’ rule. he said the aim of it was to stop his athletes hanging out at bars at night trying to pull!

yeah!hi everybody i’m 27 fm italy, i’ll probably start boxing for the first time in my life next month, (this article will make me think twice 😀 ) . i’m not going to ask you if i’m too old to start, those are silly questions and I dont care.. i’ll let u know, wish me luck!awesome website Johnny!

@bejack83
Hi, I just started boxing 9 months ago. I’m 37 asian type so i look quite young in appearance, most people give me 28 years old. I never have been a sportive guy, this is the first time i involve so much physically in sport. I was happy to discover myself through boxing that i have a very good core, i just regret that i didn’t start at your age at least. I’m working everyday and i go boxing 4 to 6 times a week. Quite addicted since i wanted to learn boxing for a very long time. I think there is no age to start it’s all about yourself. You will find surprisingly that boxing is a very mental challenging sport, most of people think it’s just violent but it’s super technical if you want to fight elegantly and efficiently. I have my up and down like everybody i often get my ass kicked in sparring recently was getting more confidence since i increased technically but still but at the first few sparring i was shaking when getting in the ring and didn’t dare to hit my opponent too hard. Now i find some excitement in sparring.

HI Johnny,
Thank you for your words.
I have to congratulate you about your website it’s really a great great website i did a lot of researches on boxing and just found your last week, it’s the best i found so i was very happy. I’m sure i will improve my boxing technique when applying your technical advices. You are a very thoughtful person because you take time to reply to everyone and it’s the first time i see so much dedication for others in a website. I didn’t see any topic about Heavy Bag workout so i have a question…. When i hit heavy bag with my small gloves i can’t generate a lots of power i think i don’t twist my hips enough and maybe the distance between me and the bag is not accurate enough when i hit. When i use a little bigger gloves it seems more powerful. Workout on pad is very fine the snap is very strong and sound is great. I just have some issues on heavy bag as i mentioned only my hooks are powerful enough my straight punches look so weak… Any advices you could give me to improve? Thank you.

It’s so easy to reply when people are talking about what I love so much. The small gloves feel less powerful because the surface is smaller and doesn’t make a large *SMACK* sound. It also feels more difficult because the gloves are smaller and allow you to feel more resistance because of your fists are penetrating the bag. Ultimately, you feel so much resistance because you are too busy “pushing” the bag instead of punching it with a snapping punch. Straight punches can feel weak if you don’t have the right technique.

For now to make it simple, I will explain it like this: don’t try to hit the bag or invade the bag’s space. Imagine yourself as a bomb exploding DOWN into the ground. Your arm is only there to connect the explosive force to your target (bag, pad, person, etc). Explode down and connect your fist to the bag at the same time. Try that and let me know how it feels.

probably the best “no sex before a fight” reason ever heard & i totally agree with that. Even if all the other reasons are true, current article covers the most important reason of all. Excellent article.

THE KIDI agree that no sex before fight but disagree with your #1 reason to live is to procreate. That is a philosophical question and almost a theological query. If that were the only reason to live there would be alot of a people committing suicide at this time. if you don’t believe in God then maybe that is the only reason to live. Many great boxers are god-fearing individuals and I doubt the only reason they lived was to procreate. Your right that the statement is crass and generalizing at best.

@Billy – Whoa….I said that procreation is the #1 function to living organisms, not the #1 reason to live. The second one as you said…is definitely philosophical and generalizing.

It’s like getting a job. Your number one purpose of it is making money and providing for yourself…but you’re not there just PURELY for money. The job has to align with your ethical beliefs, societal values, and individual purpose in life.

Survival is the Human body’s Dominant organism based function.
Our Body’s are Hard wired to Procreate, which is to ensure survival of
The species that is Man. For Example Food And Shelter, will Dominate the
body’s Instincts over sex in a Desolate Life threatening Situation.
If you Study the Human Hormones, males release a hormone at orgasm
That deeply relaxes and many times causes sleep afterwards.
I’ve been Trained in advanced AK and Energy work through Massage
And Training and there is So much more to this world than what you can
See. We are made in God’s Image, but have a Finite mind.
When you Train your Body Spirit And Mind, you Become Powerful.
In Christ, you Become Eternal and your Spirit is Reborn and Grows
And will Lead Body and Mind to Victory.
Iam a Practitioner of Tradional Tae Kwan do and White Dragon
(5 Animal styles, N@S Shaloin) my Favorite is the Drunken
Moneky. Advanced DM practitioners can crush walnuts as the Strikes are ended
By Ripping out Chunks of Flesh. (not a Sport lol)

Do we have to have Christ shoved down our throats at every opportunity?
Keep you superstitous mumbo jumbo to yourself, it has no bearing on whether or not a boxer should have sex before a fight or not.. so why be rude and make every topic about you. Its so self centred.

when should you stop?i got my first licenced fight in 3 months when should i stop having sex? i am highly motivated and i never considered it a problem before but its a sound argument that it builds a hunger so im willing to try to ensure it maximises my contribution to my training

Interesting viewpointI’m reading up on a lot of evolutionary theory right now, and this sounds like something that might be categorized as evolutionary adaptation. Kudos to you for thinking outside the box.However, I think we also need to consider different factors that affect sex drive.If we don’t, then we always assume someone who hasn’t had any action in a while will always more aggressively seek action than someone who gets it on a regular.In actuality, the person who hasn’t had action in a long time is likely much more able to go without it for a much longer period. Whereas, the person who gets it every day is more likely to crumble after 48 hrs without action.My overall point is – I think you make a very solid point. But it should also take into consideration an individual’s sexual activity, as well as their natural drive.On another note, I can’t believe I just posted this on a boxing website.

@Ian – you’re definitely right. Some males are more aggressive and competitive sexually and that does lead to a more energetic and active individual at times. It’s not about being horny but always having energy to channel into whatever activities they do. And then of course there are guys who carry a low sex drive and don’t even think about it or care about it. I think there is a medical term or something for guys with low sex drive. And yes, having a low sex drive (and not having sex) doesn’t make you hungrier than the next.

the guyThis is a nice explanation. It makes sense. I must thank you for this idea which is new to me. I know this ‘no sex’ theory, but now I know why. You’ve delved deep into the matter. Really cogent argument. Thanks.

i know its unprovoked, but just my 2 bits on a wonderful topic. having sex takes tension away, it makes a guy too relaxed to focus on many difficult things not just boxing. business deals, surgeries, academic exams all seem to suffer after sex.

but if people got their girl at home with her best lingerie on, waiting for her man to come victorious, i will bet everyones fists will suddenly be packing some extra heat in the ring! im so wishing i could find someone to fight right now

You said it, Saber! On days that I wake up after having some fun last night, I do everything slower. I move lazier and lose my purpose for the day. I don’t feel the need to hustle because I’m already satisfied. Definitely too relaxed to care.

I have understood and practiced this theory for a very long time and I don’t have a girlfriend. I have kind of taken it to the next level. Meaning that I avoid all sexual stimulation. Meaning, I train my mind to not allow myself to get erections. I believe that arousal will also decrease your chi. It tries to slip out in the form of anger and aggression and getting upset over little things, but I believe that the emotion of anger also releases your precious chi and I’ve somewhat learned to keep that from escaping as well.

I’ve come to a point where all of this chi is helping me at work and with promotions and I keep climbing and climbing and climbing. And I think I get stronger and bigger from more focus at the gym. And I get these thoughts and theories on things. They aren’t in any textbooks. It’s all new information and I feel that I am discovering things that are currently unknown to man.

I want to keep it going and I can. But a girl has sort of come into my life. She’s been there for a while but I keep avoiding her. She’s insanely hot and I want to be with her sooo bad, but everytime I talk to her, see her, hear her speak, or even if she enters my mind, I get a rageing boner. It won’t go down. sometimes it lasts for hours and I can feel my chi slipping away by the minute. It is affecting me at work and I am no longer doing well like I was before.

I’ve been without a girlfriend for so long, I don’t know what’s normal anymore. I can’t even walk when I’m around her. I haven’t tried to kiss her or put my arm around her because it stimulates me too much. I think she’s wondering why and I’m pretty sure she’s lost interest now because of that and she doesn’t really talk to me anymore.

Can you or anyone help me out?
Here are my questions.
1. Do you have a girlfriend?
2. Is it normal to get hard for your girl everytime she’s around?
3.Is there a way to control that?(I’ve tried thinking about baseball and pulling the hairs out of my arms and legs but none of that works)

Do you have any advise for me? I don’t want to lose my chi, but I don’t want to lose the girl either.

I would recommend combining both: climbing on the girl.
More seriously I think the no sex policy is too much in most cases for most people. But I definitely think it’s better to avoid sex 3-4 days before a fight.
We’ve been looking at how to keep our sexual energy, but what about increasing it? There are ways to increase it, especially through nutrition: so called ‘potency food’.
Also, many chemicals we’re exposed to have estrogen-like structures, which basically act as anti-testosterone. I’ve experienced a significant increase in libido and energy (understand aggressiveness) by stopping to use plastic bottles (especially the used ones). You get can plastic-free bottles.
That stuff gets even deeper than that. There’s room for an article on the topic.

Man…I’ve been searching for the answer to this question for like 2 years now. Thank you for providing the most logical reason for abstinence during times of training.

Now the question: will the mental edge from abstinence increase your performance in other aspects of your life such as your career or weight training due to having an increased desire to succeed to reproduce?

I think this is all in the mind. If you think sex will weaken your legs, make you less agressive etc., than it will. I think a lot of trainers want fighters to abstain from sex because of it can keep a fighter less focused on training and disrupt times when he should be resting. If a guy is out all night trying to score and has to get up early for pre-dawn roadwork, more than likely he’ll either skip the run altogether or just give it a half hearted attempt. If a fighter is married or in a relationship I don’t see why regular sex would hurt at all as long as you don’t try to perform marathon sessions each and everyday.

Tyson started to have sex only when he stopped driving for success. Check it out in his movie, during his climb to be the champ he didn’t have sex for over 5 years! Take it from the man, that’s dedication, and true desire to win!

The longest I abstained before a fight was 3 months. During this time I was able to focus my energy all on training which really increased my savageness and ferocity! Training became focused and intense, and after a while it’s all I thought about. Conquering wasn’t about felling good in bed, it was about pushing myself past physical limits to crush my opponent. By fight night it was well worth it. When I got in the ring I was electric and exploded into a 41sec TKO.

After that fight I got married and started having regular sex. This combination of not having to “hunt for a women” or “hunt for sex”, really fizzled out my burning desire to conquer and to win. Because of this, my coach has avoided women almost his entire life, and even at the age of 50, he is still one of the most ferocious fighters I’ve ever had the pleasure of training with.

If your serious about your game, and you want to be the best, abstaining from sex shouldn’t even be hard for you, you need to want victory more than you want sex, more than you want to breathe! It may be hard at first, but once you develop a consuming fire and relentless determination for victory, then everything else takes a back seat, even sex!

“Believe it or not, sex does not take up a huge amount of energy. On average, people only burn about fifty calories in a single act of sex, an amount that can be easily replenished.2 Men who are worried about depleting their testosterone levels need not worry; in fact, sex actually increases testosterone.6 On the female side of things, there is even better news: it has been argued that orgasms help women compete athletically. Physician Alexander Olshanietzky said, “We believe that a woman gets better results in sports competition after orgasm…The more orgasms, the more chances of winning a medal.”7”

I think the whole sex thing has more to do with fighters GOING OUT and CHASING women and not getting the rest they need for a hard day of training. Someone married or someone with a regular sex partner won’t be out bar hopping, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, keeping late hours and all other things that come with the territory of being a wild swinging sex crazed Kool Kat looking for a Kitty. Of course even if you have a steady mate you can’t be looking to spend half the night each night having sex when you should be trying to get some much needed rest.

Lets assume a lion takes command of a pack of lionesses by the virtue of his physical ability. As such, he will be having quite a lot of sex with said lionesses in order to pass on his genes. However, should your theory of evolutionary psychology be true, he will very quickly lose control of the pack to another competitor lion, as his performance will decrease due to lack of motivation. This will lead to an endless cycle of interchangeable males, such that they will never control a pack long enough to produce male offspring (since rival lions will kill his progeny). Since we do not see such scenarios happening in nature, one has to assume that the detrimental psychological effect of sex on performance is either over-stated or rather not applicable at all.

This is a fun discussion….and I can’t believe I actually know enough to discuss this.

Ok, comparing humans to animals. Humans are one of the few animals that will have sex purely for pleasure. For that reason some scientists argue that humans have sex too much because we do it out of its natural purpose. And once you have TOO MUCH sex, then it can weaken you.

About the lion thing. A single pack of lions consists of females AND MALES that help protect the pride from outside males. C’mon now…no single male is going to be able to defend all his females with himself as the only male.

Hi Johnny,
1. What’s your opinion about wet dream. I just wondering, do having wet dream has same effect with having real sex?
Will having wet dream weaken you too?? Because men do ejaculate either while having real sex or wet dream.
2. Will daydreaming about sex weaken you too?? I once daydream about sex, and after I finish that daydream my body feel weak and relax, and my motivation seems gone, the effect is almost as same as having real sex.
Wait for your answer Johnny.. : )

In traditional Chinese medicine texts, tantric texts, indigenous teachings, etc.. in general women do not lose energy from sex, its the opposite, they receive it because they do not lose vital fluids. Men on the other hand, lose an incredible amount of creative life force on physical and spiritual levels. Unless they train themselves on how to retain it. Both men and women can train in tantric practices in order to increase the sexual energy exchanged between them for health and spiritual purposes.

“Believe it or not, sex does not take up a huge amount of energy. On average, people only burn about fifty calories in a single act of sex, an amount that can be easily replenished.2 Men who are worried about depleting their testosterone levels need not worry; in fact, sex actually increases testosterone.6 On the female side of things, there is even better news: it has been argued that orgasms help women compete athletically. Physician Alexander Olshanietzky said, “We believe that a woman gets better results in sports competition after orgasm…The more orgasms, the more chances of winning a medal.”7”

Hi Johnny. I have a theory about it. I think that have sex before fighting and training is more related to be tired and not concentrated than our sex needs. I realized when follow in love that I started to think about boxe much less during the day and become less aggressive. I think that there is no problem to have sex unless you get rest enough and concentrate on the training and on the fighting. May be the myth about weak legs is more related to fear because of less concentration and psycological skill than weakness.

the author is correct but the real way to make it work for you is havingd a high labido (ejaculating as many times in a day as you can and then cutting yourself off a weak before anything you need lots of testosterone for, you will have alot of drive and energy

I can’t believe so many people are uninformed on this topic, especially athletes. Sex does DEFINITELY have a negative effect on athletic performance. This has been documented for THOUSANDS of years in the eastern medicine systems (Chinese/Indian). Ejaculation causes a loss of “jing” or “ojas”, best described as your vital life essence that you are born with. In order to avoid losing this precious life force, many techniques have been developed over the ages. Chi-gung, meditation and of course Micro Cosmic Orbit exercises. Read some of the books by Mantak Chia or just google it. The info is out there, it’s not just a myth. This effect has been known and reported for millennia. It’s just that western medicine knows nothing about it and it’s too arrogant to acknowledge the wisdom of other medicine systems. I know that for me, sex before athletic performance is draining PHYSIOLOGICALLY. I feel my legs become weaker and my lower back hurts. The lower back is where the kidneys are located and the kidneys in Chinese medicine are the storage house of your jing. Anyway, my 2 cents for what it’s worth.

for me the most important think to consider is the amount of chemical reaction orgasming with and without a partner produces, and I feel we still have no way to predict 100% how we are going to feel in the following 24 hours!

Sometimes, I feel exactly the same, but many times I feel literally like a shell of my previous self! To me the outcome is not certain, but I’m sure there is an high risk of being weakened for a considerable period of time afterwards, to me abstaining makes perfect sense for this reason

every time you ejaculate your body has to create more semen, so it has to use all of that nutrients for recreate it, and the semen has glucose, fructose, magnesium, potassium, proteins, sodium, zinc, etc (copied from the wiki page).

so it is pure LOGIC, you don’t need any scientist to research if sex before a fight is bad or not, it is pure logic and reason.

so in short: SEX (with ejaculation) WEAKEN THE BODY A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF SEMEN

Why dont you just edge a few time like 10 times edge get real close to orgasm and then put your penis away and go watch tv or read a book or something. That way you can get the best of both worlds almost.

I feel alot better having read this article. My husband had said something to me saying that it was bad to have sex before a boxing match and honestly as a woman I thought that he just wasn’t attracted to me anymore but I’m glad I went online to find the real reason before jumping to conclusions. This was a great article and shed alot of light on the subject. Now I can better understand and help my husband while he’s in training and keep him focused only on his training and if that means playing hard to get then that’s what I’ll do. Now someone did ask a question which made me start thinking because I plan on going back into training for MMA after I deliver my son, what happens to a female athlete if she has sex during training or before a fight? Would she have the same downfalls as a man? Anyway just wanted to thank you for a great article man.

I’m glad you went on here. It’s a commonly debated subject between fighters. But now you know he’s still very much attracted to you. I’m not sure if it’s the same case for women but I don’t see why not.

I totally agree. My boyfriend and I had a Hugh fight because we were not having sex. I figured he either was not into me anymore or he was with someone else. I think that it would only be fair for boxers to make their spouses understand and read a few articles about this subject. Please, please inform the women you date. Because I almost lost a great man because I thought he was cheating.

Thank you Johnny for this blog, it totally helped save a relationship.

It’s not talked about much, but top athletes often engage in passive anal intercourse in the days before a match because it has exactly the opposite effect of heterosexual intercourse. In absorbing another man’s semen, the athlete takes on mood-altering hormones including testosterone that directly increase his strength and which are scientifically proven to improve mood. Also, by stimulating the prostate without the relief of ejaculation, the benefits of abstinence are actually enhanced. And finally, the psychological dominance involved in the act inspires the athlete towards feelings of domination himself, revenge for the symbolic humiliation he has endured (enjoyed?) at the hands of his partner.

You don’t have to be gay for this, either, it works just as well for straight men.

BOB, Are you seriously suggesting that it’s normal for straight men to let another man have sex with him to increase athletic performance?? What a load of nonsense! I’ve nothing against gay men and it doesn’t concern me who does what in their bedroom or with whom. However if you need to let another man have sex with you to be better at sport then I seriously suggest you take up a different sport. Either that or just admit that your bi-sexual!!

sex is bad for performance, trust me. but bringing a sexy woman to the gym can actually boost performance, being that having a sexy spotter can actually raise testosterone (not to mention you wont dare to quit or drop weight). Along with becoming aroused and not finishing before training which can have similar effects, it warms the body gets the blood flowing while not losing the nutrients required to create and release additional semen. When she spots Natural instinct will kick in and your subconscious will tell you if you push enough weight you get sex after

Johny you’re right :)) you said Having sex decreases your competitive motivation. Thats true…
I noticed that when i make sex I feel like I’ve already won something I am satisfied to the extent that I could do nothing more:)) just sitting and observing life :)) with peace and full of love :))
When you keep long abstinence grows in you strange force, you’re more determined, focus, you are more aggressive, you feel that something is missing and you have something to gain.
It grows in you inner strength, determination and when you are able to redirect it towards training and competition you are on the right track. I believe that we have one type of energy -life energy and you can decide where to focus that energy ,where to use that energy what to achieve.

I did a test – I make sex one day before training (it was muai thai training). I thought I would die in training:) I could not finish the round with shields (It was a tough workout).
Another time I was abstinence for a long time, I felt more strength that comes from the belly, I felt like I was further fed by force flowing from the stomach. This was an interesting experience, it’s like I had power in my stomach :))

whether before or after, for me the individual must decide for himself bcos the whole issue or part of the issue is about one’s psyche. Individuals may psyche, motivate, hype etc. themselves up with or without sex.

This is 100% correct. I wish I had completely abstained from porn and masturbation back when I was an athlete. Since quitting I’ve had so much more drive to succeed and conquer. I used to think I was a naturally lazy person, but that was just a consequence of overindulging. My only problem now is that I’m scared to have sex again because I’m scared of losing this newfound energy and strength.

I was beginning to think this was a myth. Because my mom absolutely hates the thought of me being a fighter and she told me this fact but I didn’t believe her. So now I know the truth and honestly it still isn’t stopping me I’m still gonna be the greatest fighter I can be. Bright side is sex will be more special since I leave it for only special accessions

Some of you guys were asking if it’s the same for women athletes and the answer is yes. I notice a huge difference if I abstinence for a day or two prior. It all depends on what female cycle I’m in. So, ladies keep track of your body in all ways and learn from it. Also, the waiting makes the after party all the more worth it. 🙂

Its an easy answer which is being proven with athletes the world over: Sex and ejaculation weakens a man and saps his strength. How can i prove it? This is true for those who feel revived after sex too (the first sign of a sex addict). As for evolution….i thought we were talking science here not hogwash theories unproven by clever minds in denial? No such thing, you were designed and created by God and he gives ‘Kings’ instructions of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs which speak of this very thing and gives us a clear cut answer! I will let you search the book for yourself and discover the answer, it will do most men good to search for wisdom in the day and age of instant internet, that way you will appreciate the answer moreso. However, once you find the scripture, you will see Instruction to a fit and gifted man….the KING! Kings in those days were warriors and fighters not charity CEO’s or PR specialists. In that scripture there is a warning to this type of man…”DO NOT give your strength to women.” read it and the verses around it….it’s all to do with fighting, winning and success as a man. Amen!

Nice article, is funny to see more people that practice abstinence, I believe the mind is more important because I am like a droid many times and after eyaculate I perform still well in sparring as I am not an anger based fighter , I love the clinch and counter with high kicks…a more patient still but I still believe there is some truth about what chinese believe as I am 29 and some people don´t even believe it…
Take care you all !

Okay so
Ive been boxing for around 6 years now.
This is probally embarrasing to talk about but ive always heard of the saying
no sex before a fight
Ive heard it makes you tired and makes you less motivated.
Ive also heard that boxers shouldnt take hot showers are baths etc
Because it will also make them feel tired and the steam will kill sperm in the testicals
So I should take ice baths and cold showers while coming up to a fight.
Then i was wondering but what if a weigh in is the day before and you need to lose weight therefore you put a sweatsuit on etc
Will the heat not do the same and kill the sperm therefore you are weak coming up to a fight
This is embarrarsing but hopefully you will help me
Im either asking a genuine question or ive been being lied to . So what do i do before a fight?
1. Do i take cold showers and ice baths?
2. Avoid heat ( if so then what about training and sweating in the gym etc ) ?

This is definitely a great article bro.. i believe that semen is just or more important as blood, and should not be wasted. However sometimes guys get wet dreams. I used to have wet dreams at least twice a month. Used to get pissed about it. Theres nothing one can do about that.
It also applies with fighting animals like roosters. And this has been proven and is a fact that’s not questioned. Ejacualtion also affects the animal’s growth. When reaching puberty, it has to be isolated or stopping him from ejaculation so that he reaches his full growth.. it has been proven with fighting cocks, and it does not differ from humans.

The arguments leave out the basic fact that sex in males involves the production and loss of semen. Semen is made by the testes (sperm), prostate (seminal fluid) and the lymphatic system, including joint fluid. Have you ever felt hip soreness after lots of sex? That’s a dry socket and it’s not good for performance of any kind. It takes a week (20,s) to six weeks (70’s), according to Tao practice to regenerate.

sport science tested the myth of no sex whilst before a match. They test performance before and after, finding that after sex your testosterone level are higher and this betters your performance for men and women.

All you guys out there that are making excuses or trying to argue against abstinence
I think that you all know yourselves well, and know that you are not strong willed enough
or disciplined enough for abstinence. I actually have a valid opinion as i have gone from being
borderline sex addict and thinking it was cool and the “manly” thing to do, too almost complete abstinence.
I will say if you haven’t actually been strong enough to go at least a month without masturbating or sex, then you have no right arguing against it! I only wish I could have been strong enough to do this in my teens and early 20’s.

This author is absolutely incorrect. Releasing testosterone and being more relaxed for a fight is the perfect recipe to losing. Do not have sex or masterbate before a fight. Hell u should even before u go to work or do a task that involves mental toughness as well as physical toughness. When u release, it makes u weak. Resist the urge and keep that testosterone in you. In addition, it may be different for people depending on their sex drive. Personally, I am tired after sex and wanna sleep. Anyways, this author is wrong.

Interesting article, however I would argue that masturbation is more detrimental to performance than sex itself. Masturbation makes you obsessed with the idea of sex rather than sex itself. Its also easier to do so the temptation is always there.
I’m currently dating a Jamaican woman so avoiding sex is proving to be tricky but I’m sure she’ll understand if she reads this.

I first heard about not having sex from mike tyson. I would say that masturbation is no substitute for sex. if you feel the touch and caress of a female that reduces you to a baby, then you are definately less motivated to fight to win. if you have been uncontacted by women, and are deep into your trianing, then you would be prepared and motivated to fight to win, no questions asked. and the reward afterwards would be priced as such in your psyche as you have taken the punishment, and surivved the regiment of training for a viscous battle that you survived, however well you did, win or lose. I would agree that sex only (and not masturbation) would qualify the fighter to win or lose. even though you change your own oil, theres no substitute for the touch of a woman, and that reward from a hard won war can can only be felt by starvation from intimacy….

Ejaculation makes me tired mentally,physically and spritually drained…
THING I KNOW
SPERM FACT
some say our jizz or cum are compose of high in vitamins and minerals…so after ejaculation you feel tired weak etc..
So the nutriciuos food you intake insteed of going into your muscles they go into my balls to create my cum

Wow, just came on to ask about the ” no sex thing” and all my question were answered and then some. Thanks.
I took my first amateur fight back in June after only training for a coupe of months and wish I would of came to site sooner. So much to learn.
I decided to have another go so I began training again recently , hope to have a rematch this March .
Oh I will turn 48 by then .

I don’t care what others think , from personal experience every time I have sex I perform worse . I’m not sure why. I just know my stamina is down , I don’t feel as light , and my power is way down . I’m sluggish the day after sex, and I wouldn’t risk having sex 5 days before any type of physical competition . Although it only takes me 3-5 days after sex to get back to my optimal training level again . Great article by the way .

It’s not the sex act but the loss of semen that weakens a man over time. Have sex and retain seminal fluids along with certain dietary considerations and breathing exercises and it’ll strengthen and heal his creative prowess.

I like to knock one out twice a day even at 50. I feel relaxed but better able to deal with stressful things. Not sure how it would effect a fight but I have no problem wanting to beat the crap out of retarded Audi drivers .

When having sex – provided that you ejaculate, even though you boosted your Dopamine via needs for high in sex, you allows lactic acid enter your body. The lactic acid is proven to be a Dopamine inhibitor which would no doubt block your Dopamine. This is why when the “sex high” wears off that your motor cortex and ability to respond are lot slower. Because of the decreased Dopamine, your natural HGH (Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone hormone) temporarily penalize. To counter this would required cold shower which proven to fight lactic acid build up (see Russia traditional cold therapy) and/or medical sleep drug (CBD oil or medical marijuana with heft hours of sleep in combine with high protein diet because that semen fluid need to be refill in order to reverse the penalty. Every time you have sex, you will also crave protein and thus cannot fight nor interact well. It is important to take advantage of supplement L-Dopa and DHEA because it can soften your sex penalty. The bottom line sex will make you weak and hungry. I research medical and science as a hobby but also practice sex. I work in a courier company lifting 100 pounds package. You are welcome to call my research bullcrap. It is up to you to do your own dues diligence. I can’t confirm whether medical marijuana exempt from boxing sport though.

Whilst I understand the science behind this, it means that the athlete is going into the ring with a beta male attitude.

If the athlete engages in intercourse say, the night before the event, he’s fulfilling his goal to “reproduce” and is therefore the strongest male; the alpha male. He’s already in his mind stronger than his opponent, so he doesn’t need to overpower the alpha opposite him; he just needs to defend his alpha male status against his beta opponent.

A beta male knows he’s not the top dog, therefore is driven by fear rather than skill and pride, and is more likely to make mistakes than the alpha.

Hey Nikki, I don’t think of it in terms of alpha male or beta male. I think of it as presenting the best version of yourself possible. If I have a fight on Saturday, I don’t run a marathon the day before. I don’t do anything that I think will take away from my energy. Sure…I can be the most alpha male in the world, but I’m not going to do use up my energy before an extremely challenging event. I assume most athletic champions in the world are not doing physically-strenuous things just before an important sports event. Now if you believe that activity HELPS be physically stronger…well then it makes perfect to do lots of it then! 🙂

My theory is, people who have sex regular are the people who succeed. The reason behind this theory is as follows,

The Desire to have sex is mans natural goal and to reproduce. The problem with this is until the man has had sex its his only goal. everything else goes out of the window. by having sex on a regular basis relieves the need to have sex which then allows you time to put else where. For fighters having sex will make them weak physically not mentally, not good for a boxer, but an accountant or layer this will not matter one bit. For normal day life Sex lowers the desire for sex giving you a free mind for other things in life, like succeeding for you and your family.